Float-operated circuit-closer.



L. L. WHITE.

FLOAT OPERATED cmcun CLOSER.

APPLICATON FILED OCT. 26,1915.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

HIGH

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEROY L. WHITE, 0F SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

FLOAT-OPERATED CIRCUIT-CLOSER.

Application filed October 26, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LEROY L. WHITE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of lVashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Float- Operated Circuit-Closers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to float operated circuit closers for internal combustion engines, and has for its primary object to provide means controlled by a movable indicator rod for automatically short circuiting or closing the ignition circuit of the engine so as to stop the engine when the lubricating oil in the crank case becomes dangerously low.

With this and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts as will be hereinafter specifically described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 represents a longitudinal sectional view through the improved oil indicator, illustrating the ignition circuit of an internal combustion engine diagrammatically, Fig. 2 represents a fragmental front elevation of the upper portion of the indicator, Fig. 3 represents a transverse sectional view on the line 83 of Fig. 1, Fig. 1 represents a fragmental longitudinal sectional view through the indicator, illustrating a modified type of circuit closer, and Fig. 5 represents a fragmental front elevation of the indicator, illustrated in detail in Fig. 4:.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 6 indicates a casing of hollow formation to receive a quantity of lubricating oil from the crank case or other oil chamber of an internal combustion engine (not shown). A closure or cap 7 is removably secured to the upper open end of the casing 6 and a float S is slidable vertically within the latter. An indicator rod 9 is secured at its lower end to the float 8 and projects inwardly through a tubular guide or housing, designated generally by the numeral 10 and including upper and lower sections 11 and 12, respectively, the lower section 12 being supported upon the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

Serial No. 57,995.

closure 7. A tubular insulator 13 is telescopically engaged in the adjacent ends of the sections 11 and 12 and the latter are cutaway, as indicated at 14., and the free ends are overlapped, as indicated at 15, and secured together by a screw, or equivalent fastening means 16. The lower end of the tubular insulator 13 is provided with a flange 17 of annular formation receiving and constituting a guide for the upper portion of the vertically movable indicator rod 9. Adjacent its lower end the casing 6 is provided with a hollow externally screwthreaded extension 19, whereby the casing is connected with the crank case or oil reservoir of the engine.

The upper portion of the upper section 11 is cutaway, as indicated at 20, so as to expose the upper extremity of the indicator rod 9 to permit of inspection of the position of the latter.

A binding screw 22 is secured in the exposed central portion of the tubular insulator 13 between the edges of the cutaway portion 1 1 and the adjacent ends of the sections 11 and 12, and is arranged in the plane of the screws or pins 16 and is adapted to cooperate therewith in limiting the downward movement of a frusto-conical contact 21 secured to the indicator rod 9 above the screws 16 and 22.

In use, the lateral hollow extension 19 of the casing G is connected with the lubricating oil chamber of the engine, and thus the oil from said chamber will flow into the casing 6 and the float S will float upon the surface of the lubricant contained therein. As the lubricating oil is consumed during the operation of the engine the float 8 and indicator rod 9 are lowered, and thus by observing the position of the upper extremity of the indicator rod with relation to the upper portion of the upper section 11, the quantity of lubricating oil contained in the oil chamber may be ascertained. \Vhen the oil in the oil chamber of the engine comes so low as not to insure proper lubrication the quantity of oil in the casing 6 is correspondsource of high tension electro-motive force 31. The spark plug 32 of the engine, indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 1, is electrically connected with the ground wire 30 by the body of the engine, as usual, which in this instance is represented by the wire 33. The central electrode of the spark plug 32 is connected with the magneto 31 by the conductor 34, and a branch conductor connects the conductor 34 with the contact screw 22 and thus when the movable contact 24 is engaged with the screws 16 and 22 the ignition circuit of the engine is short circuited and the engine stopped.

Referring to the modification of the invention illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 the numeral 1O indicates the side or housing for the indicator rod 9 having a relatively movable contact 24? secured thereto above a cutaway portion ll formed intermediate the ends of the tubular housing 10 A contact bar 16* is secured in the vertical edges of the opening 14 and is arranged in diametrically opposed relation to the contact screw 22 secured in an aperture formed diametrically opposite the opening 1 9. An insulating bushing 23 is arranged between the screw 22 and the tubular housing 10 and a nut 25? is fitted upon the screw 22, whereby the branch conductor 35 of the electrical circuit illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 1 may be connected therewith.

(Vhat I claim is:

1. In combination, an oil containing casing, a float arranged in said casing, a sectional tubular housing carried by said casing, the adjacent ends of the section of said housing being overlapped, a tubular insulator detachably connecting the adjacent ends of the sections of said housing, relatively stationary contacts secured in said tubular insulator and the overlapped ends of the sections of said housing, certain of said contacts being electrically connected with said sectional housing and other of said contacts being insulated from said housing by said tubular insulator, an indicator rod secured to said float and extending upward-1y within said tubular housing, and a relatively movable contact carried by said indicator rod adapted to engage or bridge said relatively stationary contacts.

2. In combination, an oil containing casing, a float arranged in said casing, a sectional tubular housing carried by said casing, the adjacent ends of the sections of said housing being cutaway, insulating means connecting the adjacent ends of the sections of said housing, a portion'of said insulating means being exposed through the cutaway portions of said sections, a contact secured in the exposed portion of said insulating means, contacts secured to said insulating means and being electrically connected with said housing, an indicator rod carried by said float, and a relatively movable contact carried by said indicator rod adapted to engage or bridge the relatively stationary contacts.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses' LEROY L. WHITE.

itnesses H. G. KINZEL, C. E. SWAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. i 

